Homewear as outwear?

Gingerina

Hey girls!
This is my first post and I really hope you can help me out!
Like many of you, I'm a wife, a mother and I work from home.. Sometimes it happens to me to just wear my pajamas and a robe (who cares?? I'm at home!) but then the postman comes over, someone knocks at my door, I have to go pick up the kids from school, and I have to get changed every time! But what should I wear? I wish I could wear something different from my usual sweatpants, something nice, fancy but comfortable. What do you girls wear? I found this Italian website http://www.grazialliani-shop.com/en/
I really like those sweaters and chemises... What do you think? Can I wear them even when I'm not home??
Help me!!

11 years ago

Dressing

8 replies

Latest reply was from ElleH

columbine(erin)

Veteran

Hi, and welcome. I took a peek at the link. These pieces are lovely, but it would be hard to wear them away from home, I'm thinking. You might be able to get away with wearing some of the knitwear as a tunic with leggings or jeans though.

11 years ago

Anonymous

This is something I struggle with all the time. I too love to be comfortable at home and then the door bell rings.

I am working on developing a casual capsule. So far it consists of stone colored cotton pants, olive colored cotton pants, grey ponte pants, and black ponte pants.

Just deciding to own pants that I can wear around home and be comfortable in was a huge win for me. Now I am developing outfits around these four pairs of pants. Along the way I made many mistakes. Pants were either too tight or too fussy. Give yourself permission to make a few mistakes while you learn what works for you and what doesn't work for you. Good luck to you.

11 years ago

Aziraphale

Veteran

Welcome to the forum.

This is actually a tough question to answer, because I suspect that my idea of 'fancy but comfortable' is not the same as yours.

I'm also a mother of school-aged kids, and I also attend university, so although I am out of the house three days a week, I end up doing a lot of schoolwork at home. My idea of comfy clothes for working in the house is a great pair of comfy jeans and a flattering tee shirt (although sometimes I'll swap out the jeans for a pair of sweats if I want to really be comfy or if I'm going to be working with something messy). When it's time to leave the house after working indoors all day, I'll toss on a jacket, blazer or cardigan and a pair of great shoes or boots and I'm off. To me, toppers/jackets/coats and footwear instantly transform an outfit. And I'm very picky about how my jeans and tee shirts fit.

I had a quick look at that website. The open weave knit sweaters are great, and could work as 'outwear' if you had a camisole underneath. I'm not so sure about the chemises. They look like underwear to me. Clearly you like lace, which is not my department at all -- but I've seen some fabulous lace tops on others. They look sort of fancy and they cover more. A lace top with some jeans (especially broken-in-looking ones) would look good, because of the juxtaposition of fancy on top and casual on the bottom. It would be practical, too.

11 years ago

Elly

Veteran

I've found that loose jeans and pants with slouchy pullovers or embellished sweatshirts are almost as comfortable as my sweats for days at home, and I can always stay in nice loungewear for a bit longer in the morning or change in the evening.

Other ladies like track pants, and others like leggings with tunics or dresses.

11 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I worked from home for many years (am still self-employed but now I leave the house and go to a separate studio, forcing me to get dressed every day), and I definitely fell into the trap for a while of defaulting to loungewear for daily wear. Honestly, I never felt great that way. It contributed to a general feeling of laziness and sapped my energy. I find I am much more productive if I make some sort of effort to dress every day in clothes that can be seen out of the house. And frankly, nice jeans and a good-looking tee or shirt are only slightly less comfortable than sweats.

11 years ago

Louise

Veteran

I have a couple of pairs of Jersey wide leg trousers and cascade cardis. I add a shirt sleeve t in summer or long sleeve t in winter. They're as comfy as pjs but presentable enough to open the door or nip out for milk x

11 years ago

ironkurtin

Veteran

Well, if you want to give someone a thrill when you answer the door, I say go for it. I tend to go more functional in my home-to-outwear, mostly because I work out a lot so I pull on my leggings and sports bra and tank, then throw on a tunic or a dress over. They're comfortable and no one looks at me strangely and I can get to the gym or go running without needing to do more than take off a layer.

I would think you could get away with some sweet tank tops with more covered-up things, but I personally steer away from too sexy when I go out.

11 years ago

ElleH

Veteran

Welcome to the forum. Suz has some posts on comfortable work from home outfits.

11 years ago

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